RIFT
by Chain Mell
Summary: Mornings have become more than just the bane of Duo's existence; rightfully so when The Morning comes and changes everything. ...Summary sucks as usual but the story really is better ! SUSPENSE !
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I think I'm gonna get killed for something like this by all my dutiful readers. I have two that I promised to finish for this fandom: Come Together, and Treading Through Troubled Waters. It's a shame. But be thankful that my juices are running at an all time sensible, now.**

**This fic here is something sporadic, really. So have fun reading it.**

**CHAPTER ZERO …of only who knows how many. ^^;**

Duo rolled over in the protective shell of Heero's arms, sighing as he took in the other man's countenance. Handsome features were relaxed in peaceful slumber, lips slightly parted to partially reveal pearly whites. His hair splayed across the pillow in a sort of fan-like manner. The Japanese shifted slightly to accommodate Duo's new position and settled into a deeper slumber.

Duo wrested an arm out of the other's hold and let his fingers ghost across his lover's face, memorizing again the feel of golden skin, the firm lips that battled with his often, eyelids that fluttered ever so slightly under his touch… Duo felt his heart break little by little, throat constricting at the thought that one night it may be his last to indulge in something that he was careful not to take for granted. Every morning he would hold his breath, heart leaden everytime he sat in front of the computer at work. He would have to remind himself to breathe as he would peruse his inbox, force his body to remain relaxed lest Heero should notice and ask any questions. Morning after morning was hellish, watching his entire life with the man he loved flash before his eyes… Only to heave a supremely grateful sigh of immense relief to see _it_ absent. And he would continue the day, living every moment to the fullest because that day may very well be the last he can.

Duo's breath hitched involuntarily and he froze, feeling Heero shift at the disturbance.

"Shh, love," the former Wing pilot murmured. "It's alright…"

Duo strangled a sob that threatened to escape. All of this…gone with just the appearance of four words. It was beginning to drag him down. It was nearing the year of his twenty first birthday, and by then, his life which was signed away by another would cease as he knew it.

Holy God…

Duo couldn't take it any longer but waited for Heero to settle, carefully keeping his own breathing slow and measured to lull the other's sixth sense. Warily, he watched Heero's face as he meticulously detangled himself from the other man's arms. With one last cursory glance, he left for the bathroom. He immediately grimaced at the light's assault on his eyes and he closed the door behind him quietly. He leant against the door and ran an hand tiredly over his face.

"Shit," he breathed, feeling his entire body lose its strength. Wearily, Duo moved with heavy steps to the sink and the mirror above it. Looking back at him was a man waiting death, torn between battling to save the little that he had and resigning to the fate that had been sealed a long time ago. His eyes were bloodshot, the colors actually clashing and giving him an overly jaded look. Hell, he _felt_ like life beat him beyond recognition, ate him, threw him up, re-enjoyed him and shit him out.

The vision before him blurred and he closed his eyes against the dizzy spell that overtook him. He was exhausted, and it was beginning to show. There were slight shadows under his eyes; he'd have to wear at work that face-powder that he kept hidden quite well. But what he wanted was just one night to sleep peacefully, without the mind blowing sex.

Duo smiled ruefully. It took being extremely intimate with the one person that was going to be ripped away from him in order to sleep like nothing was ever wrong in the first place. Life sucked.

Duo turned on the cold tap and splashed some liberally over his face before letting it run. Leaning some of his weight on the porcelain bowl, he looked at the running water, eyes blank. It was strange. His life was just like how this faucet worked: it would put forth everything it can, but in the end, it would all just end up going down, down, down the drain.

He didn't know just how long he was standing there, just watching water swim down a dark hole and he started considerably when warm arms surrounded his very cold middle. His eyes were beginning to slip closed just before then.

"Heero?" He mumbled, tiredly straightening as he heard the water stop.

Heero responded by lodging his chin at the juncture where Duo's right jaw met his shoulder. "What's wrong, love?"

I don't know, Duo thought miserably. I'm scared out of my mind; life's sucking immensely; I'm about to lose you sooner than I think; I'm too afraid to go to sleep for morning to come quicker than it should; I'm damned _tired_.

"I can't sleep," he settled for. It pretty much covered everything in its entirety.

"Bad dream?" Heero quietly led Duo out of the bathroom, flicking off the light.

Duo thought about the question. "Not really. Just a lot on my mind." He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry I woke you."

Heero closed the bedroom door behind them and steered the braided man toward the bed. "You didn't," he placated the American, laying him down and covering them both with the sheets. "Do you want to talk?"

Duo shifted to rest his head against Heero's chest and let his eyes fall to a close, his last sight being the neon numbers of the alarm clock: 3:15 a.m. "No," he murmured. "It's nothing."

_Nothing you can do about it._

There was a moment of silence before a whispered acquiescence to his silent plea to be left alone. Duo fell into an uneasy sleep at the feathered touch of lips to his forehead.

Morning drew nigh.

**A/N: Yes, you are free to kill me, now. Why, you ask? It's because I've already gotten your curiosity hiked and there's the very large possibility that this may not be updated. Yes, you just read that. I'm terribly sorry. It's almost identical to Compromised Vitality but too bad. I couldn't get past Heero's Fluster Cluster in the fifth chapter there, and so I left it alone. As for this, titled: Rift, review and I'll actually continue this. Yes, I said it. I need reviews. At least to know that some people hadn't abandoned me (even if they are entirely of the right to do so).**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, I've decided to actually write as much as I could in one sitting because I know somehow, some way, I'll just stop cold. Better hope that I don't. If you don't want me to stop, then REVIEW~!**

**I'm so sorry that I'm rusty almost beyond repair, but I'm grateful that you'd enjoyed the first chapter. As for the problem with Duo, well, we'll get to that later. I'm going on a whim here, as usual. I never plan anything out when it comes to writing. I always go by emotion (Heero would be so proud…sort of) and so I'll be just as surprised as you.**

**Now, without further ado, let's have a tiny little explanation, yeah? THIS IS NOT A GET TOGETHER FIC! **

**Established 1x2, 3x4, 5xS. Additional pairings or any spontaneous changes will be noted sometime in the unfathomable future.**

**CHAPTER ONE….of who knows how many.**

Heero watched with slightly creased eyebrows as Duo moved sluggishly through his morning routine. He was worried about the other. He hadn't been sleeping properly and had almost ran into a wall more than once. But Duo always insisted that he was alright. But somehow, after a few minutes at the office, he seemed to perk up and gradually make it back to his upbeat personality. At least before coffee, anyway.

Intense Prussian followed the willowy figure as it ambled/stumbled into the bathroom, skin steaming from the hot shower. Duo's eyes were half open at best and his walking was more of a fight for balance than anything. The American sat heavily on the bed with a sigh and closed his eyes, chin falling to his chest. In almost no time, he was falling to the side but he caught himself in a jerking motion. With a groan he sat back up.

"Go to sleep, Duo," Heero said simply. God knew he needed it. "I'll call you in sick."

"No!"

The outburst had Heero backpedaling faster than he thought possible.

"Just," Duo's wide-eyed, wild look calmed immediately. "give me a minute. Sorry for yelling."

Heero's brows furrowed and he walked over to his clearly distressed lover. He knelt in front of Duo, peering up from behind his shaggy bangs into worn violet ones. "Duo. You're not well, you should really stay at home."

Duo shook his head, more to wake up than respond apparently because he then rubbed his eyes furiously. "No, babe. I have to go, alright? Look," Duo straightened and yawned, obviously against his will. "If I'm not up to par by eleven, then do away with me as you will, yeah?"

Heero's gaze pierced Duo's for a few moments before he nodded, but didn't move to rise. Instead he reached up and brushed Duo's bangs out of his eyes and cupped the other's pale cheek. He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and dropped his hand with a sigh and began to rise.

Duo stopped him, taking hold of the wrist closest to him and looking up at Heero with a sharpness that wasn't there mere seconds before. "No, don't leave me out of the loop, 'Ro. What's on your mind?"

Heero tore his gaze away. He felt like he was losing Duo little by little somehow. Like something was sucking the very life out of his lover who depicted life itself. The man would let pride eat him alive before he'd share his burden with someone else. Heero wanted so badly to just take whatever was destroying his Duo and give it a few bullets for lunch, but there was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was wait for Duo to come to him.

"I'm just," he sighed, looking at Duo. "I'm worried about you love. You're exhausted and you'll burn out before long. I really want you take the day off and just _rest_."

Duo sighed and he looked away this time, grip on Heero's wrist tightening ever so slightly. "I just have to be there." Duo turned wide eyes to Heero. It was a look that he couldn't resist. It was one that screamed both _'Help!' _and _'Just trust me.'_ all at once. It was a look Heero learned to dread with every fiber of his being. There was something Duo wasn't telling him, but he'd have to contend with what was offered.

Nothing.

He nodded, defeated. "Alright. But if you've not improved by eleven, I'm bringing you back home, understood?"

Duo smiled weakly and nodded. "Yeah."

All throughout the ride to work, Heero couldn't help the furtive glances he sent Duo. The American was already dozing after the first few minutes, elbow on the door's armrest and cheek in hand. On any other occasion it would have been adorable. Okay, it still was, but then again Duo had been pushing himself a little over the edge lately with the extra missions and sleepless nights. It was all Heero could do not to forcefully drug the other and make sure he slept for at least a month.

The Japanese sighed, returning his attention to the road ahead.

**A/N: I suck at writing Heero's third person but it got the job done. So sure, I got two chapters done. I wonder how far I'll make it. Reviews would help so much, since I'm getting back into the swing of things.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yes, I've taken pity on you all and on my own soul. This will continue as long as I have the ideas strung out in my head, yeah? For the rest of Come Together, I just can't figure out how to put it all into words. That's my only problem there. If I can get that cleared up then huzzah. But I should warn you of painfully slow updates.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE….of how many …?<strong>

Junk…. Junk….Spam… Bills….Spam….Junk….

Duo's tension eased a little as he bypassed each email, worn features looking slightly more or less haggard before becoming slack with relief.

Thank God…

He sat back and slumped, boneless, into his seat. He sunk down in exhaustion from the relief that coursed through his body. He made it another day. Maybe it really was over. Maybe he was just being paranoid; losing sleep over nothing would really rankle, but…

Duo bit his lip tiredly before heaving a sigh and running a hand over his face, eyes pulling closed when a familiar scent licked at his nose.

"You lifesaver," he murmured, taking the steaming cup from Heero's outstretched hand. He sat up and took a well deserved sip of his coffee.

The day had officially begun.

Duo looked at the clock. It was just after two in the afternoon. He'd made good time with the mound of paperwork they'd been handed since Agent Briggs had been on disciplinary leave. His work had been distributed equally among the people on the sixth floor and so life had been a little more distracting for Duo, thankfully. But for now, he was especially happy, like any other day.

He'd been spared.

He felt eyes on him and immediately saw Heero giving him an odd look. Duo merely blew him a kiss and grinned when Heero playfully dodged it like an oncoming bullet.

"Yuy, Maxwell," the intercom fizzed. "In my office, immediately."

Heero looked over at Duo. "What did you do?"

Duo gave his lover a look. "Now how come it couldn't be a mission and not some prank I pulled?" He pretended to look hurt. "I hadn't planned one for weeks!"

_That's what has me worried,_ Heero thought as they made their way toward Une's office.

The Commander of the Preventers had her office at the top floor of the building: the twenty sixth. And there were times when both men enjoyed the trip: like whenever they had the elevator all to themselves despite the security cameras. And there were times when the elevator was over-crowded and people farted without saying 'excuse me' and killing half of the other occupants' brain cells with the stench. Or the somewhat favorable conditions where Duo played sound pranks on everyone in the elevator. Sometimes it scared the living hell out of them to the point where they would draw their guns, duck for cover, or double over laughing.

All Heero could do was shake his head and bear it. However, the past had come to clash with the future, and things just weren't the same, somehow.

He cast a glance at Duo just before they entered the occupied, but not crowded, elevator. To the untrained eye, Duo was the picture of joy and near unconcern. But Heero knew better. He just wished he didn't, sometimes. But Duo had bounced back with some effort today, despite being near incapacity that morning. It wasn't a bad thing, his mind argued. Agreeably, however, it was strange.

He didn't know what to do. It was all he could do not to drag Duo home and haul answers from his bowels if he had to. But there was nothing he could do; Duo asked him for his trust - something he'd always had - and he'd be damned if he betrayed it.

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><p><strong>AN: Don't kill me? Well really, you shouldn't because then you wouldn't have any more updates. This had been sitting around for a while with no way to really end. So I cut and rearranged all that time, and finally sawed it off right there. Next chapter should be fairly easy if I could get all my college work out of the way like a good student (but...I HATE homework...). So for now, ta-ta and I'll get back to you with another chapter of RIFT.**


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